Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

I slid my cell phone out of my pocket and pulled up my contacts. Once I found Dermot, I took a breath to think this through. Did I really want to travel down this road? I had four kids and a husband—a life I loved—to consider, but it worried me that this boy had come searching for Lady, and Dermot would probably be able to provide more answers than Joe.

The kid saw the phone in my hand and jumped to his feet. "No police!" he shouted.

The landscaping crew paused their work and cast questioning looks in our direction, but maybe we'd found good help after all because they resumed their tasks without any fanfare.

"She's not calling the police, you fool," Neely Kate called over to him in disgust.

He hesitated, then sat back down.

"Is he hungry or thirsty?" I asked Bruce Wayne. "Maybe giving him some food will help settle him down."

"I already gave him some water and my sandwich for lunch."

I offered him a smile of thanks, then placed the call.

The phone rang for a few seconds before a gruff voice said, "Rose?"

"Hey, Dermot," I said softly. "Long time, no talk."

"Yeah," he said, sounding sleepy, and I realized I'd probably woken him.

"Sorry to bother you so early." Only it wasn't that early. It was after ten a.m. "I have a situation here, and I'd appreciate your input."

He paused. "That sounds ominous."

"A teenager showed up at Bruce Wayne's worksite, asking for protection from the Lady in Black."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

"Are you offering it?" he asked.

Was I? Why was I even considering this? "I don't know yet. I need more answers, and some of his story seems a little too contrived."

"I see."

I wasn't sure what that answer meant. It had been several years since we'd worked together, and I no longer knew his tells. "You don't have to get involved in this, Dermot. I just thought…"

"That I'd want to know? I definitely want to know. You and your kids are important to me, and I don't like that someone is asking about Lady after all this time."

I wasn't surprised by his answer. Dermot had helped deliver Hope in the woods in a breach delivery while we'd been in the middle of a dangerous situation. I'd named him her godfather, and he used to check on her from time to time after everything had died down, but I hadn't talked to him in over a year.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"Still at the worksite."

"Send me an address. I'm gonna swing by and have a little chat with your new friend."

"Is that a good idea?" I asked. "Should we bring him to you?"

"Ab-sol-utely not," he barked. "You don't get in a vehicle with him. Not without protection." Then he added, "Is Jed involved?"

"He knows nothing about this, but he's also kept his nose out of Fenton County criminal business."

"Does Joe know?"

"He has absolutely no idea. About any of it." My guilt rose up like a mushroom cloud. I'd worked so hard to earn his trust and not keep secrets from him, and this was a doozy of a secret.

It all gave me a moment of pause. What was I doing? I needed to hang up, call Joe, and tell him about the vision and this kid showing up looking for the Lady in Black after witnessing a murder, yet I knew Austin would never talk to Joe.

What if something bigger really was going on in this county? What if Hardshaw had come back? Maybe Neely Kate was right, and all of this was a setup. Someone could be using Austin to get to me, and if that were the case, it would be far easier for Dermot to suss it out than Joe.

I needed to go with my gut and let Dermot handle it. Even if guilt was eating at my soul.

"What does that mean?" Dermot asked.

"I'll tell you once you get here."

"Okay. Text me the address," he said, then hung up.

"Dermot's on his way," I said as I typed the address into my phone.

He responded within seconds.

Be there in fifteen

I told them what he'd said, then shoved my phone into my pocket.

"He's coming here ?" Neely Kate asked in surprise.

I was just as surprised as she was. In the past, we'd gone out of our way to not be publicly linked, just like James and I had done when I was helping him. But this was a quiet, upscale neighborhood. No one would know who Dermot was, nor would they find it strange that a bunch of people were congregating on a job site. The only way we'd find trouble was if some type of violence broke out, and I was going to do everything in my power to make sure that didn't happen.

"So what do we do with Junior while we wait?" Neely Kate asked. "And what's gonna stop him from running once Dermot shows up?"

"We could have him wait in my car," I said. "I have child locks on the back doors, which would make it harder for him to get out, but I'd have to remove a car seat."

"No," Bruce Wayne said. "Don't do that. He'll be just fine there. I'll give him the piece of cake Anna packed in my lunch."

He walked over, leaving Neely Kate and me next to the street. He picked up an insulated lunch bag and handed the kid a container and a fork. The boy took off the lid and dug into the cake like he hadn't eaten in a week.

"I believe the homeless part of his story," Neely Kate said as she studied him.

"Yeah, me too. But the other parts don't make sense."

"Do you think he saw a murder?"

Part of me wanted to panic, but I made myself concentrate on the facts. "I suppose that part would be easy enough to corroborate. If they buried a body behind the Adkins plant, it would be easy to find the spot. I'm guessing they probably changed their minds after they got caught, but there'd still be evidence of digging."

"But who's gonna check it out?" Neely Kate asked. "Joe's men or Dermot's?"

"Crappy doodles. I don't know." How had I gotten myself into this situation?

"We could make the kid call in an anonymous tip," she suggested.

"Yeah. Agreed."

"But that doesn't help us figure out what to do with him if the murderers really are after him," she said. "We both know the sheriff's department won't protect him. They'll take his statement and cut him loose."

"I know Joe would want to protect him, but there's not much in the budget for him to do more than have a deputy do drive-bys of his house."

"And he says he doesn't have a home," Neely Kate added.

"I know. Not to mention, if we bring Joe in without Austin's permission, there's a chance Austin'll clam up." I ran a hand over my head again. "I really want to call Joe, but we need to find out what's going on. I'm terrified Hardshaw's back, and Dermot's in a better position to confirm or deny it."

Neely Kate frowned. "Unfortunately, I think you're right."

Dermot arrived in ten minutes instead of fifteen, parking his shiny black pickup behind my Suburban.

Bruce Wayne was standing next to Austin, and while the boy looked nervous to see someone else show up—an imposing man to boot—he didn't look ready to bolt. Yet.

Dermot walked over to me and Neely Kate. He was tall and broad shouldered, and a scruff covered his lower face. He had a swagger that suggested he would match any bullshit tossed at him and raise the ante. I had to admit that if I hadn't known him, I would have been intimidated.

His mouth lifted into a grim smile. "Sorry to be seeing you again under these conditions."

"And I'm sorry to drag you into this, but when he mentioned Lady?—"

"Don't apologize," he said. "If he invoked Lady, there might be something goin' on I'm not aware of, and I like to know everything that's goin' on in the county." He glanced over at the kid. "I take it that's him?"

"Yeah."

"Why's he scared?"

"He claims he saw a murder out at Adkins last night. He says he took a photo of them burying the body, but his flash went off. He took off, and now he's worried they're after him."

"His flash went off?" he asked, his voice heavy with a thick layer of skepticism.

"Yeah," I said. "Like I mentioned, some of his story doesn't make sense."

Dermot kept his gaze on the boy. "I'm gonna talk to him."

"Here?" Bruce Wayne asked in surprise. "In the open?"

Dermot glanced at me, brow raised. "Up to you."

The other alternative was for him to take the boy somewhere for a chat—not that he'd likely agree to go. Even if he did, I wasn't sure Dermot would want me tagging along. Shoot, I wasn't sure I wanted to tag along. But this was my mess, and I didn't think I should be passing it off to Dermot.

At least not yet.

"Let's try it here first." I held his gaze. "He came to me, which means I'm well and truly part of it. You'll question him with me present." As I finished my statement, I was surprised by my own directness.

The corner of his mouth ticked up. "I wouldn't expect anything less, Lady."

I cringed at the name, but I'd fully embraced her at one point. I couldn't be all that surprised that she was still a part of me all these years later.

The four of us walked over together, and Austin stared at Dermot with fear in his eyes. He got to his feet, his hands shaking at his sides.

"I'm Tim Dermot," Dermot said with a slight nod. "I hear you're in need of Lady's protection."

Austin's face reddened with fury. "Why'd you call him ?"

His anger didn't faze me. "Because I've been out of this world too long, and if you really need help, then Dermot's the one who's going to provide it."

"What?" Austin said in a sneer. "I told you my daddy was part of his crew."

"Your father works for me?" Dermot said in surprise, then shot me a scowl.

"I didn't think it was pertinent for you to know," I said. "At least he didn't defect to Carmichael."

"That would have been short lived," Austin scoffed.

"You know about Denny Carmichael?" Dermot asked, assessing him.

The boy snorted. "Who doesn't?"

"Probably most of the county," Dermot shot back. "What's your father's name?"

Austin lifted his chin in defiance. "Oscar Cowan."

"He doesn't work for me anymore," Dermot said, his voice neutral. "We had a difference of opinion."

"Yeah, well, he's a piece of shit, so I'm not surprised," Austin said, trying to sound tough, but defeat filled his eyes. I wondered if Dermot saw it too, but then I realized, of course, he did. To succeed in his role, he needed to see everything.

Bruce Wayne's crew were making halfhearted attempts to look like they were being productive while staring at us, but I was pretty sure one of the guys had been removing a bush from its plastic container for the past ten minutes.

"So you saw a murder out at Adkins?" Dermot asked, keeping his voice low.

" You told him? " Austin shouted at me.

Dermot held up his hands, and his face turned dark and menacing. "I'm not sure if Lady's explained the rules, but you do not shout at her, and you will treat her with respect. Older, more badass men than you have followed those rules, so either you do the same, or we don't help you."

"Yeah, she already told me," he said, walking away a few paces, then back again. "What is she? A damn princess?"

"More like a queen," Dermot said. "And you'll treat her as such."

Neely Kate's eyes widened, but Bruce Wayne didn't look that surprised.

What stories had been spread about my involvement in their world?

"Am I supposed to call her Your Majesty?" Austin asked in a smartass tone.

Dermot took a step back and turned to me. "Cut him loose."

I had a moment of panic. We didn't know anything, and if my name was being tossed around, I needed to know what was being said, especially if Hardshaw or someone just as bad was out there. But I also trusted Dermot, one of the many reasons I'd called him, so I shoved my hands into my front pockets. "Okay. Good luck, Austin." Then I turned around and started to walk back toward my car, Dermot following behind me, slightly to my left.

"Wait!" Austin called after us. "I'll be good."

"Keep walkin'," Dermot said under his breath.

I took several more steps, almost reaching the curb, when Austin called out again, " Please, Lady. I need your help."

I stopped this time and turned to Dermot, saying low enough so Austin couldn't hear me, "I think he really saw something. Would he act so belligerent if he were here for nefarious reasons?"

"Possibly," Dermot replied in an undertone. "If he were smart, he wouldn't want to seem too eager."

Not the answer I wanted to hear. "So what do you think he's here for?"

"I'm not sure, but I'd like to find out."

I nodded. "So we try again?"

He crossed his arms over his chest and glanced at the white picket fence next door. "If he's here to tell us about a murder, I'd rather him not do in the Jones' front yard."

"The Beethams," I said, then realized I was being too literal. "So where do we take him?"

"Let's start out in my truck, and we'll move him somewhere else based on what he says."

I considered it for a moment.

" Please! " Austin called out.

"Okay," I said, still keeping my voice low. "But I want to question him first. Then you can have a shot at him."

He nodded. "Okay."

He took a step, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him to a halt. "Is there something going on in the underworld, Dermot?"

He stared into my face. "The truth?"

"Don't insult me by insinuating I'd want anything but."

Sympathy filled his eyes. "You've been gone a long time. You've kept your nose clean." He paused and leveled his gaze with mine. "You're married to the damn sheriff. Once you know this stuff, you can't unknow it, and you sure as hell can't tell Joe."

I rubbed my face with my hand as my heart sank. What was I doing? But Joe was certain there was nothing big going on in the county, and if I could find information that proved otherwise, it would help him too. Right?

It didn't ease my guilt, but it still felt important to learn everything I could.

"You can walk away from this and pretend like it never happened," Dermot said kindly.

"And you'll take care of it?" I asked with more attitude than I'd intended as I dropped my hand.

"There's nothing wrong with handing this off to me," he said. "You left this world, and with good cause. And if I'm honest, I don't want you back in it, not because I don't trust you but because you've got four kids. You and I both know that this world and families don't mix." A familiar pain filled his eyes when he talked about the family he'd lost because of his involvement in the underworld.

"Dermot." My heart broke for him, just like it did every time he mentioned his family, which I could count on one hand. He kept his cards close to the vest, always. He only let this side of him slip out for a few people, and I counted myself lucky that I was one of the ones he trusted.

He pulled back his shoulders. "That being said, you're a grown-ass woman who pretty much saved this county and a whole lot of lives. You're more than capable of dealing with this. The question is, why would you?"

He was right. I should just let him handle the situation with the boy and have him let me know if I should be worried. Before my mother died nearly six years ago, I would have handed it to him and thanked him profusely, but I wasn't that woman anymore.

I took care of my own messes.

"No," I said, hoping I didn't regret it but already knowing I probably would. "You don't need to tell me about what's going on in the criminal world, but I have to hear this boy out and find out who told him to come to Bruce Wayne to find me. And if he really did witness a murder, I need to figure out how to deal with that too."

He nodded. "Okay. Let's bring him to the truck."

We headed back to Austin, who was flanked by Neely Kate and Bruce Wayne. He looked like he was about to be sick. He might have an ulterior motive for being here, but he was obviously scared shitless.

"Austin," I said, stopping a few feet from him. "We need to ask you some questions before we can help you, but your belligerence isn't doing you any favors. So do you want my help or not?"

"I think so."

"Either you do or you don't, boy," Dermot barked. "Which one is it?"

Austin flinched. "I do."

"And you realize that you're not gonna give Lady any lip, or you're out on your ass—no second chances?" Dermot asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay," I said, trying to hide my fluttering nerves. "We'll go sit in Dermot's truck and find out exactly what happened."

"I already told you what happened," he countered, sounding panicked. "And if I get in that truck, I'm as good as dead."

"Dead?" Dermot asked with a short laugh. "Who do you think's gonna kill you?"

Austin gave him an anxious look.

"Me?" Dermot asked, then narrowed his eyes. "Do I have reason to kill you?"

"I don't think so."

"Do I have reason to have beef with you?" Dermot pushed, moving a step closer to him.

To his credit, Austin held his gaze, even as his body shook. "You do if you had that guy killed."

Dermot took a step back. "Then you're safe because the only murder I know anything about is the one in Pickle Junction two days ago. Come on." He turned his back and started sauntering toward the truck.

I stared after him, hoping I was hiding my shock. Not because Dermot knew about the Pickle Junction murder but because he'd said the murder had taken place two days ago. As far as I knew, the sheriff's office had only found out about it yesterday.

What the hell was I doing, jumping back into this world of secrets and half-truths? Of lying to Joe?

I took one look at Austin with tears welling in his eyes, and there was my answer. He was just a kid, and he was scared. What if Mikey or Liam needed help when they were teenagers, and Joe, our friends, and I weren't around to give it? I'd want someone to step up for them, and I wanted to step up for this boy too. I couldn't turn him away.

I put my hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. He'll treat you fairly."

"I came to you, not him," he said softly as a tear tracked down his cheek.

"I'm not in this world anymore," I said. "So he's our best resource if you still refuse to talk to the sheriff." When he didn't answer, I said, "I could call my husband Joe. I promise he'll be fair too."

He slowly shook his head as he said in a defeated tone, "I can't be talkin' to the sheriff."

"Then we'll talk to Dermot, and if you feel uncomfortable, you tell me, and we'll leave. Together."

His mouth dropped open. "You'd still help me?"

"You came to me for help, so I'll help you as long as you treat me respectfully. Okay?"

He wiped his nose with the back of his long sleeve. "Okay."

"I'm comin' too," Neely Kate said. I was surprised she'd remained silent this long.

"Neely Kate's part of this too," I said in a tone that didn't brook argument. He was smart enough to heed that tone.

I cast a quick glance at Bruce Wayne, but he shook his head. He'd played his role in this, and now he was done.

Smart man. I couldn't help thinking I should follow his lead.

The three of us walked to the truck together. Austin and I got in the back seat, and Neely Kate sat in the front passenger seat. Dermot was sitting in the driver's seat, shifting sideways to face the boy.

"Austin," I said gently, "tell us again what happened. Only this time, give us more detail."

He swallowed. "Okay."

"Start with the men coming into the building," I said. "What were you doing, and where were you?"

"Where was I in the building?" he asked in confusion.

"We know that building better than you'd think," Neely Kate said.

"I was in an office in the back."

We knew that office well, but I refrained from telling him that. "And where were the men when they shot the other guy?"

"In that big open area next to the office. They kind of trapped him there, I think. I was sleeping, and I heard shouting and a lot of banging. I think they were chasing him through the place and had him cornered in that area. I was scared one of them was gonna come into the office and find me."

"Did you see them shoot him or just hear it happen?"

He swallowed again, shaking a little. "I saw it. The door was cracked, so I watched through the slit. He was on his hands and knees, beggin' ‘em to not kill him, but they kept asking him where the package was. He said he didn't have it. The one guy got pissed and shot him."

"And the other guy was upset he'd done it?" I asked, restating what he'd previously said.

"Yeah. Like upset enough that I thought he was gonna shoot that guy too."

"Did they try to help the guy they shot?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No. He got shot in the head, and it was pretty obvious he was dead." His face paled even more.

"Ever seen someone killed before, kid?" Dermot asked.

Austin shook his head. "No, sir."

"It's gonna stick in there for a while, but don't try to ignore it or shove it down. That's only gonna make it worse. When all of this is settled, I have someone you can talk to."

"Like a shrink ?" Austin asked in dismay.

"A therapist," Dermot said, "and you can trust him."

Neely Kate gave me a surprised look, but I lifted my shoulders into a barely discernable shrug. Dermot was a nurse practitioner before he'd gone full time in the criminal world. I didn't know how the career change had taken place, but it stood to reason mental health would be important to him too.

"So after they shot him, what did they do?" Dermot asked.

"They argued for a bit, then decided to bury him out back. One of them drove his truck around to the big open windows on the west side of the building—they don't have any glass, so you can just climb in and out."

We were aware of that too.

"So they hauled him out the window into the truck?" I asked.

"Yeah." He swallowed. "Only they didn't have anything to wrap him in, and the second guy, who seemed to be in charge, made the guy who'd shot him carry the end with his head. He complained that he was getting blood and brains on his shirt and his new boots, but the other guy just said if he hadn't shot the one guy they needed to talk to, he wouldn't be gettin' blood and brains on his shoes. He'd be lucky if he didn't get worse from the big guy."

"Big guy?" Dermot asked.

"Yeah. I figured he was the guy in charge." He snuck a fearful glance at Dermot.

"You thought I was the big guy?" Dermot asked without accusation.

"Yeah."

"And now you believe that I'm not?"

Austin looked over at me, then nodded. "Yeah. Lady said I could trust you."

I was floored that he'd already given me such blanket trust.

"So what happened after they left?" Dermot asked.

"I heard their truck drive off, and after a minute or so, I crept out of the room and saw all the blood and…" He swallowed again. " Stuff and figured if the police found out that I'd been staying there, they might think I was the one who did it. So I figured if I found ‘em, I could prove they'd killed the guy, and I wouldn't be charged with it."

"So why not go to the police?" I asked.

He snorted in disgust. "You think they're gonna believe me?"

"They would if there's a body," Neely Kate said.

He snorted again. "Goes to show what you know. They treat all teenagers from Pickle Junction like trash. I wasn't gonna take my chances."

"Let's go back to after they took the body out," I said. "How did you know they were gonna bury it behind the parking lot?"

"I didn't, but when I climbed out the window, I saw the lights from the truck in the back. So I kept low and headed back there. I was surprised that the guy who was the shooter was actually digging a grave."

"And you took photos of him doin' it?" Neely Kate asked.

He nodded.

"And the flash went off?" she asked. When he nodded again, she said, "Wouldn't video have been better?"

He hung his head. "Probably, but I wasn't thinkin' right."

"Obviously," Neely Kate said under her breath.

I shot her a look, and she shrugged as though to say, I'm just stating the obvious .

"Let's have a look at those photos," I said, holding out my hand.

"They ain't any good," Austin grumbled as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and entered a passcode. After a few swipes and taps, he handed it over. "I only have a few."

The first image was a blur of white light with black in the background. There were no discernable people. If you used your imagination, you could see trees on the sides, but they could as easily have been Bigfoot.

"That's the one with flash," he said. "The others are worse."

"Worse than that?" Neely Kate asked in disbelief as I lowered the phone so she and Dermot could see.

I swiped to the next photo, which was pitch black. The next five photos were exactly the same.

"Now you see why I used the flash," Austin said.

"I guess," Neely Kate said.

I swiped again, and a selfie of Austin and a little girl appeared. Both had wide smiles that made my heart swell.

Austin quickly reached over and took his phone back. "That's all I have."

"Was that your sister?" I asked. "You look like you're very close."

He nodded, but his silence was proof enough that he didn't want to talk about it. He was protecting her.

"So when they saw you, you took off running?" I asked.

"Yeah, they started shooting at me, but I took off running through weeds on the land next to the plant, and I kept low so he was shootin' blindly."

"Good thinkin'," Dermot said.

The boy seemed to bask in his praise.

"So after you got away, what did you do next?" I asked.

"I walked for a long time, then I called a guy I know from school. He told me I needed help from the Lady in Black and that I should find a guy named Bruce Wayne who worked for a landscaping company. So I looked it up on my phone, and someone posted on social media that the landscaping company was working on their house this week. I looked them up on the internet and found their address and started walking."

"The plant is at least ten miles north," I said.

He nodded. "I walked all night, stopping to sleep some when I found an empty shed."

We were all silent for a moment before Dermot asked, "Why do you think they know who you are?"

Austin looked up at him, terror on his face. "I went back to the building to get my stuff—it's all I've got—but when I got there, none of my stuff was there." He paused. "I'd left my car keys there, and they were gone, but worse, they took my wallet." He swallowed hard. "They have my driver's license. They know who I am."